


Dream Pool

by FlowerFoxified



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: Code July
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25029103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlowerFoxified/pseuds/FlowerFoxified
Summary: All had been going smoothly after the Warriors went into retirement. But when the appearance of a VR headset seems to be connected to Yumi's recent strange behavior, the resulting investigation leads to more unexpected adventures.This is my response to Code July. Each chapter will fit a day's prompt.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 5





	Dream Pool

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Dream Pool. Thanks for coming this far.
> 
> I aim to have each chapter connected to a Code July prompt. I can't guarantee I'll get each chapter out on time, but they'll come out soon enough.
> 
> The chapters might be a little rough. But this is mostly for practice, and if I spend too long perfecting this will never come out.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The sky above was cloudy. Brewing, perhaps, a storm to come. It fit Ulrich’s mood, as he joined his friends near the drinking machine. Not just one test, but two awaited him that day. And though he spent the better part of the week studying, he was still mentally preparing, brimming with anxiousness and trepidation.

It was this pattern of thought that was the culprit; for how he missed the first clue that something in his world had gone wrong.

Odd, his normally cheery demeanor only slightly diminished by the dreary morning, was waiting for his cup to be filled with hot chocolate. “Hey, good buddy! Finally managed to get up today!”

“Aw, come on.” Ulrich said, “You know I was up late.”

“Yeah, yeah. Studying hard to bring up your grades. I get it.” Odd grabbed his cup, took a sip, then sighed dramatically. “But you missed breakfast! The most important meal of the day! How could you?!”

Jeremie, who was leaning against the side of the building, holding his own steaming cup of hot chocolate, watched on with mirth. “And what about you, Odd? Are you ready for the tests?”

“Sure I am. As long as I get to sit near you.” Odd said with a wink.

“So you’re planning to copy off me again?”

Odd said nothing, opting instead to sip his drink.

“Good morning.” Aelita said, approaching the group. The group replied with their own ‘Morning!’ “Oh, Ulrich! I brought you something!” She handed him a brown paper bag. “It’s not good to skip breakfast on test day.”

He opened it to find a croissant and a couple bananas. “Thanks Aelita.”

“Mhm.”

“Oh, here comes Yumi!” Jeremie said, alerting the others.

Yumi was heading towards them, wearing a blank expression before getting near the group, where her focus shifted back to them, and she smiled. “Hel-lo there.”

“Hey Yumi,” Ulrich said, after swallowing a bite of his banana, “What’s up?”

“It is ve-ry good to-day.”

There was a beat of silence. Odd spoke up. “Uh, you practicing for the drama club or something? Doing your robot voice?”

Yumi blinked. “Yes.”

There was more awkward silence. “Well,” Jeremie said, checking his watch, “We should really get going.”

Not wanting to be late for the test, the group departed for class, and passed through the morning.

* * *

Lunchtime came. The crew sat around the table. Odd chowed down on his excess spaghetti (Rosa was feeling generous that day) while Ulrich was flicking through his flashcards in preparation for test #2.

Jeremie gave Ulrich a look. “It’s good that you’re studying more, but don’t you think you might be overdoing it? A break might do you some good.”

Ulrich met Jeremie with a glare. “That’s rich, coming from you. And no, it isn’t. I’m on thin ice. I can’t take any chances.” He set the pack of cards down. “Anyways, I was just doing quick review. The test is in less than an hour!”

“Mph!” Odd swallowed his meat ball. “With all the hard work you’re putting in, I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Then he got a wicked gleam in his eye. “In fact, I may be able to copy of you for once.”

Ulrich’s reply got cut off by Aelita’s exclamation. “Hey! Has anyone seen Yumi? Shouldn’t she be here by now?”

The group went quiet, and scanned the cafeteria. But despite their efforts, there was no Yumi Ishiyama to be found.

“That… is weird.” Ulrich said.

“Where do you think she is?” Aelita asked.

“Who knows?” Odd said. “Maybe she got caught up in drama club or something.”

“Maybe...” Jeremie said. “But I don’t know. She was acting a little off this morning. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d say it seemed like a...” He trailed off.

“Like a XANA attack?” Odd asked.

“You said it, not me.”

“Aw, come on Einstein. XANA’s been gone for, what, two months now? You can’t blame everything on him anymore.”

And then the door to the cafeteria burst open, and in marched Sissi. “HELLO, FELLOW HOO-MANS!” she exclaimed for all to hear. “I have come to eat the food!”

Nicolas and Herb were not too far behind. “You’re doing really good! You’ll get that part for Alien Queen for sure!” Nicolas cheered.

“Yeah, Sissi,” Herb said, “And you’re doing a really good job of staying in character, no matter what happens.” He chuckled nervously.

The residents of the cafeteria stared in shock, frozen in disbelief. Sissi could be unusual at times, yes, but this was a bit much. But as Sissi and her two lackeys made their way to the lunch line, activity slowly resumed.

“What was that?” Ulrich couldn’t help but mutter.

“Hey.”

The group turned around, to find Yumi had appeared by their table.

“Oh, hey Yumi! You missed it,” Odd said, “Sissi’s brain has finally melted from all her perfume!”

“Yes,” Yumi replied, “She is a fellow human.”

Odd paused, and gave her a look. “Y-yeah. She is...”

There was another moment of silence.

“Um, Yumi,” Aelita piped up, “Aren’t you getting in line? The food will run out soon.”

“Right. Yes. I should do that. Get food.” She walked away.

“I’m getting flashbacks,” Jeremie said, “Bad ones.”

Ulrich looked thoughtful. “But- It can’t be-” He shook his head. “Maybe she’s got some trouble at home or something. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

* * *

The day went on, and once more the test anxiety pushed the oddities aside.

The bell rang, signaling the end of classes. Ulrich left the classroom behind and joined his friends in the wreck room in a post-test-stress daze. The friends did their usual shenanigans. Foosball, TV, rounds of Go. Ulrich auto-piloted through it.

That is, until William came in. “Oh, hey William!” Odd greeted him. William, while not exactly good buddies with the group, had been getting on better terms with them as time went on.

“Hey William.” Ulrich said with a lot less pep. Then he noticed something. “Yumi’s not with you?”

“Uh, no,” William replied, “Actually, she ran home as soon as the bell ring.”

“Really, that’s strange.” Aelita said.

“Yeah, I thought she’d want to hang with us.” Jeremie said.

“First this morning, then lunch, and now this.” Odd said.

“What are you guys going on about?” William asked.

“Have you-,” Ulrich started, “Have you noticed anything strange about Yumi today?”

“Strange? Not- ...Well- ...Hmm.” William thought for a moment. “She didn’t really talk that much today.” He looked a little downcast. “Didn’t even say thanks when I picked up that pencil she dropped.”

The gears in Ulrich’s head turned. Or, tried to. They were quite sore from the day’s academic activities. He resolved to try talking to her the next day.

There was a flaw in that plan. Yumi didn’t come back to Kadic the next day.

“Maybe she’s not feeling well,” Aelita said, when the absence was noticed, “I’m sure she’ll be back tomorrow. It’s probably nothing serious.”

Ulrich wasn’t so reassured. “Wouldn’t she have given us a text, or something, to let us know?”

Aelita shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s got a headache and forgot to?”

* * *

The next day came. She still hadn’t come back.

She didn’t come back the day after, either.

All this time Ulrich had half a mind to go check up on her. But something always ate up the time. Soccer practice, studying, homework…

He did try to call her a few times. But she never answered. All Ulrich got was the prerecording of her asking him to leave a message.

* * *

Ulrich sat on the floor, alone in the empty gymnasium, until Jim arrived.

“Ah, Stern! So glad you could make it!” Jim looked around the room. “Say, you wouldn’t happen to know where Ishiyama is, do you? I haven’t seen her in awhile.”

“Last I heard, she was home sick.”

“Right. Well then. I guess we’ll get started then.”

Pencak-silat class was cut short, as there was only so much Ulrich could do alone.

Ulrich, a little annoyed, and worried, since Yumi rarely ever missed these classes, changed and left the gym, resolved to finally check in with her.

A little while later, Ulrich knocked on the door of the Ishiyama household.

There was talking and shuffling heard through the door, before it was opened by Akiko, Yumi’s mom. “Hello! I’m so glad you could-” She paused, realizing the visitor wasn’t who she expected. “Oh, it’s you, Ulrich. I thought you were… Nevermind.”

“Hi. I, uh, was wondering how Yumi was doing. You see, she hasn’t been coming to school the last few days. So I’d thought I’d check in.”

“Oh.” A brief sadness passed over Akiko’s face, before it was replaced with a more neutral expression. “She isn’t… feeling well.”

“Can I see her?”

“I, um, don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Ulrich raised an eye brow. “...Why not?”

“I...” She sighed. “I think you should leave.”

“Can you at least tell me when she’ll be back?”

“Soon. She’ll be back soon.” She put on a smile, but the worry lines under her eyes remain. “Just go back home. Everything will be back to normal soon.”

And then she closed the door. Abruptly. With a bang.

Ulrich stood outside the threshold in bewilderment. His worries were far from eased now. But what was he to do? He was just denied access.

Well, he could break in. That was an option. But was he ready to do that?

He decided not to do that. Not yet, anyway. He started heading back to Kadic, puzzling over what to do next.

He didn’t make it very far, however. He was about a block away when he heard his name. “Ulrich! Wait!”

Hiroki was running up the sidewalk towards him. Ulrich stopped, letting him catch up.

“I heard you came. You’re worried about her too, aren’t you?”

Ulrich went to reply, but got cut off.

“Listen. You’re right to be worried. Something’s wrong with her. Like, really wrong. Mom and Dad are freaking out. She won’t get out of bed. It started with her complaining about not feeling well. But now she won’t say anything at all! She just stares at the ceiling all day.” Hiroki looked close to tears. “They- They called a doctor to come and take a look at her. But he hasn’t come yet. He was supposed to be here by now.”

Ulrich stood silently, processing it all. He was at a loss for words.

“So, uh, I think maybe you could help. Maybe you can get through to her! ...Please?”

The leaves rustled above them, filling the silence between them.

“...Alright,” Ulrich said, “I’ll try. But first I need to get to her. And your mom didn’t sound interested in helping with that.”

“Don’t worry about that. We can sneak through my bedroom window.”

* * *

Ulrich got into the household without much trouble. Hiroki shut the window behind him. “Come on. Mom and Dad are downstairs talking. If we’re quiet, they shouldn’t notice.”

Hiroki lead the way, as both boys crept silently over the floorboards. They came to the door to Yumi’s room.

Hiroki opened it a crack. “Yumi?” he whispered. “There’s someone here to see you...” He slowly opened it wider, and peered into the darkness.

He gasped. Ulrich also looked in, and found the surprise.

Yumi’s bed lay on the floor, empty. The window above was wide open, the curtains blowing in the howling wind.

The two made their way in, looking in disbelief, as though Yumi was just hidden in a shadow. But she wasn’t.

As Ulrich took a step, his foot accidentally hit something. Something hard. He looked down. It appeared he had knocked over a Totoro plushie. Wait, that wasn’t right. He hit something hard.

He rolled over the Totoro with his foot. And underneath lay a strange device, helmet-like in shape, emitting red and gold light. He bent down to inspect it.

Up close, he realized it was a VR headset. It had a black block on the front, to hold the built-in monitors. It had a red LED light that was blinking on and off. The rest of the “helmet” part had what appeared to be etched in circuitry patterns that glowed a soft gold in the darkness. On the right side was a much more prominent etching, also glowing in gold. It was a logo.

In big letters, it read: DREAM POOL

“Is that, a VR headset?” Hiroki asked, also kneeling down to investigate.

“I guess? I mean, what else could it be.” Ulrich replied. He picked it up to look at it more thoroughly.

“That’s weird, isn’t it? She’s never been that big into video games.”

“I know. And it’s a weird place to put it, don’t you think? On the ground, under a toy?”

“You’re right. Do you think this has something to do with what’s wrong with Yumi?”

Ulrich didn’t answer. He poked the underside of the “helmet,” finding foam and what felt like smooth metal circles. He then felt the top, and his fingers felt a depression in the plastic. With some effort, he managed to pry open the panel. Only to be met with golden circuitry and multi-colored wiring underneath.

“Woah,” Hiroki said, “That looks complicated. What do you think all that does? Seems more advanced than your average VR gear.”

“I don’t know.” Ulrich replied. But then, an idea struck. “But I think I know someone who does.”

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” Jeremie started, “You broke into Yumi’s room, and found a strange device in there?”

Ulrich stood in Jeremie’s room. It was getting late, but Jeremie the night owl had been up working on one of his robots. That is, until Ulrich came in with the headset.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it “breaking into her room,” but yes.”

“And you want me to see what it does, because you think it has something to do with Yumi’s illness?”

“Yeah.”

Jeremie thought for a moment. “Yumi has been acting strange lately… It’s not like her to miss class, either.” He sighed. “Alright, I’ll take a look at it.”

* * *

Ulrich and Odd were getting ready for the day, brushing their teeth still in their nightwear in the bathroom, when Jeremie burst in through the door. “Guys. Guys!” he hissed.

“Hmm?” Odd mumbled through his toothbrush.

“You were right. That is no ordinary headgear!”

Odd spit out the excess paste. “What are you going on about now, Einstein?”

“We need to have a meeting. I’ll explain then. Just meet me in my room as soon as you can. I’ll get Aelita.”

* * *

Everyone gathered in Jeremie’s room. After they got caught up to speed on where and how Ulrich acquired the headset, Jeremie launched into his explanation of what he discovered.

“So I spent all of night taking it apart and putting it back together.”

“All night?” Aelita asked. “Jeremie, we talked about this.”

“I know, I know. But I was worried, too. And I was right to be.

“So this is a Dream Pool VR headset. The way this works, is that you put it on, and it links you to a virtual world over the Internet. Like logging into a server. At least, in theory. I haven’t tried it myself. And I certainly wouldn’t recommend it! Not after what I found under the hood!

“First of all, there’s no actual monitors in here,” he said, pointing to the large black cube that should logically hold them. “There’s lenses, but they don’t let you see anything. Instead, it seems to directly alter the user’s brain waves to create audio-visual sensory hallucinations.”

“In English?” Ulrich said.

“So what you’re saying,” Odd said, “Is that it plugs into your head to make you feel like you’re really in the virtual world?”

“Well, yes, actually. In a way.” Jeremie answered.

“Do you think that’s what’s causing the issues?” Aelita asked.

“No. I mean, I don’t think so. There’s something else going on here. You see, there’s a lot of weird circuitry stuffed in that helmet. Not stuff you’d see in most computers. But I have seen some of these circuits before… In the supercomputer.”

There was a moment of stunned silence.

“Are you saying,” Odd began, “That this thing is a mini-quantum computer?”

“Well… yes and no. It’s an interface to one, that much I know for sure. I was able to get into some of the software built in. I even tested the connection to the main computer. But as I was investigating, I found something else.

“I have reason to believe that this device was infected with some sort of advanced virus. And not just this device, but the virtual world, the Dream Pool, that it connects to.”

“Wait a minute, Jeremie. You don’t really think that- that XANA’s-”

“No. This didn’t look like his work. Whatever this is, it’s something… different.”

Jeremie adjusted his glasses. “And this virus may also have infected Yumi.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you have the time, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


End file.
